What Did Medieval Wedding Dresses Look Like

The answer to what did medieval wedding dresses look like include iconic materials, styles, and colors unique to medieval wedding dresses. We will discuss what a usual mediaval bride wears and the features that are typically seen in a wedding dress during this time. 

And besides bridal attire, you’ll also learn about what wedding guests wear during medieval times. And if you want a wedding with such a theme, including a castle venue, read how much does a wedding cost at the chateau

what did medieval wedding dresses look like

 

Here Is What Did Medieval Wedding Dresses Look Like

 

Materials on medieval wedding dresses

The first way to recognize a medieval gown for weddings is the material. Brides usually wear dresses made from luxurious fabrics like silk, velvet, or even satin. 

Medieval wedding dresses, especially those worn by the wealthier class, used expensive materials than lower-class medieval brides. So you can expect cheaper fabrics like cotton and linen on the gowns of lower-class medieval brides even though the styles are somewhat similar to wedding dresses worn by noblewoman. 

 

Medieval bride style

You can easily distinguish a medieval bride’s dress, especially from a modern bride’s dress, because of features like long sleeves and corsets. It seems like medieval wedding gowns are usually long and more form-fitting than modern wedding dresses where tea-length is trendy.

Unlike strapless or short-sleeved wedding dresses seen nowadays, a medieval bride usually wears a wedding gown with elbow-length or full-length sleeves. And if you want to incorporate medieval features on your wedding dress, consider wearing a fitted lace bodice, cape, and decorative cloth bands around the sleeves, waist, and neck. 

 

Medieval wedding dress colors

Besides features like long sleeves and corsets, what a medieval wedding dress looks like is more colorful than what a typical bride wears nowadays. Therefore, expect rich colors in the dress, such as purple and burgundy, especially if the medieval wedding dress is made from rich fabrics like silk. 

Deep jewel tones such as blue, purple, and green are more popular than white. Blue was thought to symbolize purity, and wealthier ladies even wore colors like red and gold with their satin or velvet fabrics. 

Two-toned wedding dresses are also quite normal, and even patterns are seen on them. For example, some medieval wedding gowns feature damask and stripes. 

 

What Did Medieval People Wear At Weddings?

 

Medieval bride attire

Wedding gowns during medieval times looked like the perfect representation of their status. For example, the richer the bride, the more ornate her wedding dress will look than brides from the lower class. 

It also seems that blue is the primary symbol of purity during medieval times instead of white. So it’s a trend to have a blue border on your wedding dress.

As for the details worn by brides, stones have symbolic significance. For example, amethyst represents martyrdom, while red symbolizes love. 

Do medieval brides wear garters? The bridal garter was popular in medieval times because it served as an item that the guests could take for good luck instead of taking a piece of their wedding gown. 

 

Medieval groom attire

Medieval grooms wore a cotehardie, which is a long-sleeved garment. But then, the groom’s attire eventually got shorter medieval grooms started wearing a doublet, similar to a vest nowadays. 

This doublet usually has ornate buttons and is snug-fitting. Some other notable features of the medieval groom’s attire include breeches, a jeweled belt, a tunic, and a leather-soled hose. 

The breeches and tunic are usually made of linen, and grooms tie their hose to their breeches, so shoes were unnecessary. And finally, medieval grooms feature a final garment like a tunic or robe that falls to their knees or calves. 

What about the wedding attire of lower-class medieval grooms? It’s notable for men to wear a metalwork belt, but you can distinguish a wealthy groom because of his jeweled dagger. 

 

What Is Medieval Wedding Guest Attire?

If you are invited to a medieval-themed wedding, you can always ask the bride and groom for specific colors and features they expect in their guests’ attire. You can also visit clothing shops as themed weddings are popular nowadays, and they probably have a collection ready for the medieval theme. 

Dresses with long sleeves, lace bodice, and accessories to add to your outfits like cloaks and chemises are typically seen in medieval wedding guests. As for men, expect cloaks, tunics, and breeches if you want to follow the medieval theme. 

 

What Color Were Medieval Wedding Dresses?

Jewel tones are famous for the medieval bride, and her wedding dress usually comes in rich colors like red and green. However, the most popular color for the wedding dress during medieval times is blue. 

Blue symbolizes purity, similar to what a white wedding dress represents nowadays. And if you’re interested in the history of bridal colors, read what do wedding dress colors mean

 

Conclusion

And that’s it! To recap what did medieval wedding dresses look like, they usually featured long sleeves, lace bodices, and corsets, and also came in colors like red, blue, and other jewel tones. 

You can also easily distinguish noblewomen from those in the lower class because of the wedding dress materials. Luxurious and expensive fabrics like silks are used instead of cotton worn by lower-class brides.

We hope this gave you an idea on what to wear if you’re invited to a medieval-themed wedding. 

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